A plethora of Pakistani cricketers were a part of the County Championships in England this season, with many players also turning out in the T20 Blast for their County teams after their series against West Indies. One of these players, who is currently representing Gloucestershire in the T20 Blast is pacer Naseem Shah. Shah also had a County stint with the side but was forced to miss the initial few games due to an injury.
In the ongoing season, the 19-year-old has played in three matches for Gloucestershire, taking five wickets. With the T20 Blast currently in full flow, Shah recently opened up on his time in England and revealed that there is a clear difference in the facilities at the domestic level in England as compared to Pakistan.
“I think we don't even have 30 per cent of the facilities that are available to club cricketers here in England. I know where I've come from, I started playing cricket with a tape ball, and when I see the cricketers playing here, it's completely different,” Shah told Cricket Pakistan in an interview.
“Here, when I play a club match and I see the ground and facilities, I think, 'Wow, these guys are so lucky. They have so many facilities'.”
The Pakistan speed merchant also reiterated that while many of his country's major cities like Lahore and Karachi have good facilities, many of the other places within Pakistan are in dire need of improvement as this is also affecting the quality of players that are being developed in the country.
“When we look at our cricket, most players come from places where it's difficult to avail facilities. In places like Lahore, and Karachi, there are good arrangements. But from where I belonged, there was no cricket ground. You couldn't play cricket with a hard ball. Even if Pakistan can have a small percentage of facilities available in England, you will see many more cricketers coming from our country,” Shah said.
